


Under the Falcon's Gaze

by alienweirdo



Category: Ancient Egyptian Religion
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-05
Updated: 2015-09-14
Packaged: 2018-04-19 02:18:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4729052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alienweirdo/pseuds/alienweirdo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ra watches over the child goddesses Sekhmet and Bast.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Glow

_ O fearsome little cubs, glorious goddesses of life, I welcome this new day. The glow of Ra rises in the sky, and His Eye is indeed majestic when She roars with pride and strength. This new day is a gift from Ra and His Daughters; it is a new creation--it is resurrection! _

She descends among Her priestesses and priests, but they do not know Her name yet. Their inner eyes are full of Her frightful fires. Indeed it is Sekhmet, She who goes on Her terrifying journey of slaughter. The one who frightens the gods; Her blood thirst demands awe and reverence.  The lioness knows that these things must happen. In the imprint of Her soul, She knows that mankind will be punished until Ra intervenes. For She is a faithful child, whose father is great and mighty beyond belief. As the story goes, it is relayed into the minds of the holiest of men and women, and from there it leaps to their tongues, and then onto papyrus and stone. Her myth is preserved, even when humankind turns its back on Sekhmet's worship. But knowing all this, today, She is a divine child--in the nursery with Her sister, the cat goddess Bast--watched over carefully by the gaze of Ra.

_ O fearsome cubs... _

"Before they know my name, they must know my fury!" Sekhmet yelled, before smashing the sand castle that Bast had lumped onto the ground. 

" _Sekhmet!_ I was building that!" Bast yelled, annoyed. As much as She understood Her sister's warlike nature, it was a definite detriment when trying to play in the same place as Sekhmet.

"Yes, it's like I said. Before they know my name, they must know my fury. It is not merely nice words that heal a wound; sometimes the surgeon's scalpel must be taken to it." 

Bast shrugged.  "Humankind isn't a _wound_ , sister. They are many things, but you mustn't see them that way." The lioness sat down next to Bast and began to reform the shapes in the sand. 

"Tell me, then," Sekhmet said softly, "What is it about humanity that makes you wish to protect them so?"

Bast paused, imagining the strength and ingenuity of humans, thinking about the temples and pyramids they built as well as the governments they created for themselves. They were organizers. Presented with chaos, they sought to follow Ra's direction and smite His enemy. They did not always make the right choices, but they were strong of heart and looked for truth and ma'at.

"Humans are... worlds. Each of them is a universe unto themself," Bast said as She sculpted a moat around the sand castle. 

"So you say this is why they are precious individually? What do you make of them when they go to war--acting as one body?"

"Sister," Bast began, "You know as well as I do that chaos loves to bite those who walk willingly into its mouth. It is as fanged as you are."

Sekhmet snarled. "Do not compare me to the enemy! I will never rest until he is vanquished."

"You will never rest, then, Sekhmet," Bast replied.

Sekhmet softened and looked away. "Do you not trust in our father?"

"I do... But as long as he is around promoting order, the enemy will be spreading disease and chaos," Bast answered.

"Then I will never rest," Sekhmet said calmly. "So be it," She added.

"So be it, indeed," said Bast, knowing that Her sister was destined to enforce Her father's law until the end of time. She felt proud of Sekhmet. As much as they butted heads, they were both divine children of Ra. They were sisters and that bond could never be broken. 


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bast, Sekhmet, and Ra

The presence of the Sun God shines in the eyes of His people like glittering specks of gold. The day is new, and Ra reigns over the world from high in the sky. A lone falcon soars across the earth, searching. When He comes to the grove where Sekhmet and Bast sit, He calls shrilly, then perches in a small tree. 

"Hail Our Father Ra," says Sekhmet, and Bast echoes Her words, "Hail Our Father Ra!" The two goddesses scramble to the tree where the Ra sits in His falcon form. "What is the news today, Father?" Bast asks.

The falcon shifts forms, changing into the shape of a man with a falcon's head. "My Fearsome Daughters," Ra begins, "Today we must ever look out for the Enemy, A/pep--he comes in many forms and brings disease, disorder, and chaos. We must protect the world from these forces, so that all hearts will be full of Ma'at." Both goddesses nod eagerly at their father's words.

Ra looked down at His daughters and added, "Here is a fun challenge we can do to practice smiting the Enemy." Then He took His arms and held them high, looking at the sun. When He brought His arms down, a serpent appeared on the ground. At once, Sekhmet and Bast leapt upon it, but it eluded Their grasp. The longer They tried to capture it, the more it evaded Them and the longer it grew in size. The two goddesses became enraged. They looked at Ra, and saw that He was smiling knowingly.

"Father, how do we smite the Enemy if he is ever growing and ever changing?" asked Bast. 

"Only the fire of the sun can devour such an enemy," replied Ra.

"But we have no such fire, Father!" yelled Sekhmet. Ra stepped forward and gathered the sunlight that was falling upon the grove, and this He placed in the hearts of Sekhmet and Bast, so that the fire of the sun would live within the Eyes of the Sun.

 


End file.
